Thermoplastic storage bags or pouches or bags are widely used to store and/or keep items fresh. A thermoplastic storage pouch may be of the reclosable type in the sense that such a bag includes a section of zipper tape joined to an upper edge of thermoplastic film forming the walls of the pouch wherein the zipper tape includes first and second mating sections. The mating sections can be separated from one another to permit articles to be inserted into or withdrawn from the pouch and further may be closed or occluded to seal the pouch. The opening and closing of the sections may be accomplished with or without the aid of a slider that may be mounted on the zipper tape.
In the past, thermoplastic bags of the foregoing type have been manufactured by separately extruding zipper tape and plastic film and storing the zipper tape and plastic film on separate rolls. Thereafter, the rolls are loaded into a pouch production machine and are unwound from the rolls during production. Such a manufacturing methodology requires bulky and expensive handling apparatus for manipulating the rolls of material. In addition, expense is further increased due to the need for spools or reels upon which the material may be stored.
Many production techniques have been developed for the production of thermoplastic zipper tape. Specifically, it is well known to extrude zipper tape directly into a water bath and to draw the hardened zipper tape sections from the water bath. See, for example, Chantry et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,223,187.
Transport devices have been developed for transporting articles between locations. For example, pneumatic tube systems have been developed for transporting a shuttle containing one or more documents or other articles. In addition, pneumatic systems have been used to pick up waste thermoplastic product and deliver same to a receptacle for recycling.